The present invention generally relates to the slicing of food products with a plurality of endless band slicing blades which are continuously cleaned during slicing movement of the blades. More particularly, the invention relates to a cleaning system having multiple scraper blade assemblies, each of which engages one of a plurality of generally laterally spaced endless band slicing blades. The cleaning system removes slicing debris and the like from each endless band slicing blade when it passes through individual generally opposing scraper pairs positioned for engaging generally opposing surfaces of each endless band slicing blade. By virtue of the invention, loaves of bread and the like are sliced with slicing blades that are continuously cleaned of debris such as glutenous deposits and the like which tend to form on these types of slicing blades. The invention is especially well-suited for slicing loaves of bread that are of the so-called low-fat or no-fat variety.
Food materials, such as loaves of bread and the like for many years have been sliced at commercial bakeries and packaged on an industrial scale in order to provide consumers with pre-sliced packaged bread. Industrial scale bread-slicing machines have long been used in this regard. Many of these machines incorporate a plurality of generally laterally spaced endless band slicing blades into which unsliced loaves of bread and the like are fed for transforming the loaf or the like into a plurality of slices of a selected thickness. Exemplary in this regard are machines of the type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,311,761, 2,319,140 and 2,375,231, the subject matter thereof being incorporated by reference hereinto.
Heretofore, it has been appreciated that debris from the bread loaves or the like being sliced has a tendency to build up upon the endless band slicing blades in these types of machines. Approaches which have been taken in the past in an effort to alleviate this concern have included the use of air jets to dislodge crumbs and the like from locations within the machine. Other approaches rely heavily upon wiping the endless band slicing blades with a food-grade lubricant with the objective of lessening adhesion between the blades and glutenous material of the bread or the like being sliced. At times, this lubricating approach is assisted by providing an elongated scraper that simultaneously engages all of the endless band slicing blades, typically at a location at which the blades are supported by another portion of the machine. It has been found that these types of approaches are less than fully satisfactory for avoiding the buildup of debris such as glutenous material on these endless band slicing blades when the products being sliced are breads of the so-called no-fat or low-fat variety or breads which contain relatively large particles of food items, such as raisins, onion bits and the like which tend to hang up on the slicing blades.
Efforts to address the difficult problems associated with these types of food products such as no-fat or low-fat breads have included utilizing hot water and/or steam sprays directed onto the endless band slicing blades. Approaches of this type bring with them many other problems, most notably requirements for time-consuming cleanup operations as well as significant deterioration of the slicing equipment due to excessive exposure to steam and/or hot water which tends to damage machinery of this type. Another basic approach which has been suggested for handling these types of food products which are extremely low in fat content is to redesign certain characteristics of these types of endless band slicers by modifying certain aspects of the equipment, such as blade speed, loaf infeed speeds, and/or specific features of the drums or pulleys between which the band slicing blades are mounted. Besides requiring virtually new capital equipment, this approach has the potential disadvantage of requiring slower production rates caused by reduced infeed speeds and the like. Generally speaking, these types of more radical approaches are believed to be necessitated because low-fat or no-fat products are missing a natural release agent, the fat, which tends to automatically loosen material buildup, which in a sense provides a self-cleaning situation. Without this fat as a component of the bread itself, the glutenous material and the like tends to stick even more tenaciously to the endless band slicing blades.
Accordingly, there is a need for an arrangement whereby commercial-scale bakeries or like food processing plants can slice loaves of bread and the like having very low or virtually no fat content without encountering buildup of glutenous material or the like on the slicing blades. Especially advantageous in this regard would be the ability to achieve this result by a retrofit arrangement which would avoid the need for large capital investment or for cleaning arrangements which themselves create a significant cleanup and/or maintenance task. It is also desirable that an approach be found which does not require a slowing of throughput speeds through the slicing apparatus.
In summary, the present invention achieves food slicing with continuous cleaning of endless band slicing blades by incorporating a blade cleaning assembly which engages and cleans slicing debris from a plurality of endless band blades which are generally laterally spaced from each other. The blade cleaning assembly incorporates a plurality of individual scraper blade pairs which frictionally engage and remove slicing debris from generally opposing surfaces of each blade in such a manner that both surfaces of each endless band slicing blade are scraped by the scraper blade pair. Advantageously, the scraper assembly is readily moved to fully clear the endless band slicing blades in order to accommodate replacement or adjustment of the endless band slicing blades or other maintenance or repair tasks when needed.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved food slicing apparatus and method for continuously cleaning endless band slicing blades while they are in operation.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved food slicing apparatus and method which are particularly suitable for slicing low-fat or no-fat loaves of bread.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved food slicing apparatus and method including a band blade cleaning function which is accomplished in a retrofitted manner and without requiring substantial expenditures of capital.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved slicing apparatus and method which automatically cleans debris such as glutenous material from endless band slicing blades without requiring the use of corrosive materials which lead to maintenance or cleanup problems.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.